Sanitation device



July 28, 1970 r D. A. GAUCK 3,521,999

SANITATION DEVICE Filed Feb. 21, 1968 lNVENTOR/S DONALD A. GAUCK,

ATTORNEYS BY wfl, ym, z, Mm?! United States Patent 3,521,999 SANITATION DEVICE Donald A. Gauck, 4 Falcon Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45218 Filed Feb. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 707,168 Int. Cl. A611 1/00, 3/00, 3/02 US. Cl. 21-61 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sanitation device for injecting disinfectant into heretofore inaccessible areas beneath and behind counter tops, cabinets and appliances and between walls in bathrooms, kitchens and the like, which comprises a control valve, normally closed against the premature entry of foreign elements, and an injector, whereby when the injector is pressed into the control valve, disinfectant may be directed through the valve and into the heretofore inaccessible areas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to a sanitation device for injecting disinfectant into heretofore inaccessible areas beneath and behind counter tops, cabinets and appliances and between walls in bathrooms, kitchens and the like.

Description of the prior art It is well known that one of the most important sanitary problems confronting both home owners and commercial restaurants is that of satisfactorily disinfecting inaccessible areas beneath and behind counter tops, cabinets and appliances in bathrooms, kitchens and the like.

Prior art sanitation devices have proven to be unsatisfactory for disinfecting areas beneath and behind counter tops, cabinets and appliances and between walls. This is so because such prior art devices are unable to offer access to these areas. Since these areas are inaccessible, dirt and food particles collect therein, resulting in the multiplication of germs, roaches and rodents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a sanitation device for injecting disinfectant into heretofore inaccessible areas beneath and behind counter tops, cabinets and appliances and between walls in bathrooms, kitchens and the like. The device comprises a control valve, which is normally closed against the premature entry of foreign elements, and an injector. The control valve comprises a housing closed at one end and having at the opposite end a flanged lip whose underside lies contiguous with the surface of the counter top. A plurality of apertures are arranged around the sides of the housing to permit access to the heretofore inaccessible areas. A button is disposed at the flanged end of the housing and a spring within the housing holds the button in the closed position against the flanged end of the housing. The injector comprises a tube surmounted by a conical head, and a plurality of apertures are spaced around the tube.

In operation, when the injector is pressed into the valve such that the tube depresses the button and the peripheral edge of the conical head is contiguous with the surface of the cabinet surrounding the flanged end of the valve, disinfectant may be directed through the tube, into the valve and through the apertures in the sides of the housing, and into the heretofore inaccessible areas.

In a preferred embodiment, the spring is conically shaped, and the closed end of the housing comprises a spring retainer and closure means. The apex of the conical spring is retained within the spring retainer, resulting in the proper centering of the button against the flanged end of the housing. Additionally, the tube in the injector has substantially the same cross-sectional area as the exposed portion of the button. This, of course, assures that the tube will exert equal pressure over the entire exposed area of the button as the button is being depressed. Accordingly, the button will remain aligned and will always return to the fully closed position.

A further preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a flanged area around the peripheral edge of the conical head, and a resilient pad or gasket surrounding the tube within the conical head. Additionally, a resilient gasket may be mounted on the flanged, peripheral edge. The flanged area and the resilient gasket preclude directing any disinfectant other than through the valve when the tube depresses the button and the peripheral edge of the conical head and the resilient gaskets are contiguous with the surface of the counter top surrounding the flanged end of the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sanitation device of this invention as utilized in a counter top, cabinet, appliance or the like, including both the control valve and injector.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the control valve and injector of FIG. 1 when the control valve is in the closed position.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the control valve and injector of FIG. 1 when the injector maintains the control valve in the open position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Turning first to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the sanitation device of this invention comprises a control valve 10 and an injector 12. The control valve, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, comprises a circular housing 14 of any desired length closed at one end 14a and having at the opposite end 14b a flanged lip 15 whose underside 15a lies contiguous with the surface 16 of the counter top, cabinet, appliance, wall or the like. A plurality of apertures 17 are provided in the sides of the housing 14. If desired, apertures 17a may also be provided in the closed end 14a of the housing 14. A button 18 is disposed at the flanged end 14a of the housing 14, and is held in the closed position against the flanged end 14a of the housing 14 by the biasing means 19.

In a preferred embodiment, the biasing means 19 of the control valve 10 comprises a conical spring and the closed end 14a of the circular housing 14 comprises a spring retainer and closure means. The conical spring and the spring retainer assure that the button 18 is centered against the flanged end 14b of the housing 14.

The control valve 10 is assembled by first inserting the button 18 against the flanged end 14b thereof. Next, a conical spring 19a is placed within the housing 14 such that the base end is against the button 18. A spring retainer 20 then fits over the apex of the conical spring and the end of the housing 14 is crimped inwardly so as to form the closed end 14a.

The control valve 10 is mounted on the surface 16 of the counter top, cabinet, appliance or the like, by first placing a hole of substantially the same diameter as the circular housing 14 at the chosen location. The closed end 14a of the housing 14 is then inserted into the hole 22 so that the underside 15a of the flanged lip 15 is contiguous with the surface 16. The length of the housing 14 is preferably such that the valve 10 will extend through the surface 16 and into the unaccessible area. An appropriate tool, the end of which may be inserted into the housing 14 by depressing the button 18, and which may 3 be expanded outwardly, is utilized to make several detents or pimple-like depressions 24, preferably at least three in number, in the housing 14 beneath the surface 16. As a result thereof, the control valve 10 is fixedly mounted at the chosen location in the surface 16.

The injector 12 comprises a tube 26 surmounted by a conical head 28'. The end of the tube 26 beneath the conical head 28 contains a plurality of spaced apertures 30. A coupling 32 may be utilized to join the apex end of the conical head with a tube 34 leading to the disinfectant source.

In a preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the tube 26 of the injector 12 is substantially identical with the exposed area of the button 18. This assures that the button 18 will be evenly depressed by the injector 12 so that it will always satisfactorily return to its normally closed position. Additionally, a resilient gasket 38 may be provided around the tube 26, and the peripheral edge 28a of the conical head 28 may be flanged. A resilient gasket 40 may also be provided around the flanged peripheral edge 28a. As will be more fully explained hereinafter, when the injector 12 depresses the button 18 of the control valve 10, the resilient gaskets 38 and 40 and the flanged edge 28a preclude the disinfectant from being directed onto the surface 16.

FIG. 2' of the drawing shows the control valve 10 in its normally closed position. The operation of the sanitary device may be seen from FIG. 3. There, the tube 26 of the injector 12 has depressed the button 18 of the control valve 10. When the injector 12 is fully seated, the resilient gaskets 38 and 40 are contiguous with the surface 16 surrounding the flanged end 14b of the control valve 10. This, of course, assures that disinfectant through the source tube 34 and into the control valve 10 will not be directed onto the surface 16. After the desired amount of disinfectant, which may, of course, be of the spray-liquid or powder form, has been injected through the apertures 17 and 17a in the housing 14 of the control valve, and thus into the heretofore inaccessible areas, the injector 12 is removed from the control valve 10. The biasing means 19 then automatically causes the button 18 to return to its normally closed position against the flanged end 14b of the housing 14. Accordingly, the disinfectant which has just been sprayed into the heretofore inaccessible areas is trapped therein, resulting in a much more improved disinfecting operation.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically illustrated and described, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the invention is to be given its broadest interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A sanitation device for injecting disinfectant into heretofore inaccessible areas beneath and behind counter tops, cabinets and appliances and between walls in bathrooms, kitchens and the like, which comprises a control valve, normally closed against the premature entry of foreign elements, and an injector, said control valve comprising a housing closed at one end by a spring retainer and having at the opposite end a flanged lip whose underside lies contiguous with the surface a counter top, said housing having a plurality of spaced apertures arranged around the sides and retainer thereof permitting access to the heretofore inaccessible areas, a button disposed at the flanged end of said housing, and biasing means within said housing for holding said button in the closed position against the flanged end of said housing, said biasing means comprising a conical spring, the apex end of said spring resting against said spring retainer and the base of said conical spring resting against the underside of said button, whereby said button is centered within said housing and against the flanged end thereof, and said injector comprises a tube surmounted by a conical head, said tube having a plurality of spaced apertures therein and being provided with a cross-sectional area substantially equal to the exposed area of said buton, whereby said tube will evenly depress said button, and a resilient gasket surrounding said tube within said conical head, whereby said injector is pressed into said valve such that said tube depresses said button and the resilient gasket on the periphery of said conical head is depressed against the surface of a counter top surrounding said flanged end of said valve, disinfectant may be directed through said tube into said valve, through the apertures in the sides and retainer of said housing, and into the heretofore inaccessible areas, and is precluded from being directed other than through said valve.

2. The sanitation device according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge of said conical head includes a flanged area.

3. The sanitation device according to claim 2, wherein said resilient gasket extends around the peripheral flanged area of said conical head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 26,193 4/1967 Labat 141-348 XR 3,307,595 3/1967 Berning et a1. 141348 XR 3,342,544 9/1967 Curiel 2183 FOREIGN PATENTS 229,612 10/1963 Austria. 1,368,185 6/1964 France.

945,129 12/1963 Great Britain.

MORRIS O. WOLK, Primary Examiner B. S. RICHMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

